A Bottom-up Perspective of Urban Violence in Beirut
Abstract
Violence in Beirut is commonly associated with communal strife, political polarization, and civil and regional war. This perspective—while broadly descriptive of factors which lead to violence—fails to comprehensively explain what underlies violent manifestations in Lebanon’s capital. By incorporating an urban and spatial framework of analysis, violence can be examined from a more dynamic perspective. Such analysis takes into account measurable micro risk factors at the neighborhood level, making it possible to identify the drivers, nature, and tools of collective urban violence...